(NewsNation) — Someone who the New York Police Department says is wanted for questioning in the fatal shooting of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson took a bus from Georgia and used a fake ID to book his transportation and lodging at a hostel in New York City.
At this point, the gunman who shot and killed Thompson just before 7 a.m. in front of a Hilton hotel in Midtown Wednesday is still on the loose. Police released a picture of a person who they say is a person of interest in the killing Thursday. Sources tell NewsNation they believe the pictures show the shooter.
Investigators visited the hostel they believe the person of interest was staying in on Thursday, searching for new evidence and speaking to possible eyewitnesses. One female worker — who reportedly was flirting with him — asked him to lower his mask.
Police haven’t hosted a press conference with new information since Wednesday, but one former lieutenant commander with the NYPD told NewsNation anchor Elizabeth Vargas that doesn’t mean law enforcement hasn’t made progress in identifying or tracking down the killer.
“I think there’s a lot more that they have right now,” Retired Lt. Commander Joe Cardinale said on “Vargas Reports.” “I think right now they have the photos out that will help identify him but they will have other evidence that they will hold close to the vest right now until they start furthering the case down the line.”
Sources say a cell phone recovered near the scene of the crime is a burner device. Also left at the scene were shell casings with the words “deny,” “depose” and “defend” on them. Some have speculated that the words are connected to a book published in 2010 about health insurance claims, and how companies reject requests for medical companies. The author of the book, called “Delay, Deny, Defend,” declined to comment to NewsNation.
